Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android: Mozilla has released Firefox 5, the first update for its new rapid-release three-month development cycle.

If you're stuck on an office computer and forced to use Internet Explorer because your system is locked down, Google has your back. The new version of Chrome Frame brings the features of Google Chrome to IE and doesn't need administrative rights to your PC to install. More »

Chrome: YouTube is great, but some of its features are annoying. With the YouTube Options for Google Chrome extension, you can suppress in-video ads, remove comments, disable annotations, and more. The extension allows you to completely change the look and feel of YouTube. More »

You might get dizzy staring too deeply into the Evo 3D, but Sprint Nextel Corp.’s newest flagship phone is worth risking a little motion sickness.

The Evo 3D, the first smartphone in the U.S. that can shoot and display 3-D pictures and videos, is the latest unconventional device from Sprint. The wireless provider has embraced its underdog role and introduced a number of unique products over the past few years in an effort to expand its portfolio and lure customers away from its much larger rivals.

The Evo 3D stands out largely because of its 3-D screen, but it’s a solid phone without the gimmick.

Some have paid off, including last year’s smash hit Evo 4G, which was the first phone able to connect to a speedier next-generation wireless network. Others, such as Kyocera Corp.’s dual-screen Echo, fizzled. If consumers enjoy the Evo 3D as much as I have over the past few days, the phone, which is due out June 24, should follow its namesake predecessor’s blockbuster success. The Evo 3D, which is made by HTC Corp., will be $199.99 with a two-year contract.

Remember the old feature in old Netscape browsers that prefetched links on a page so that when you clicked on it, the page would load from your cache instantly? Google's Instant Pages seems like that. More »

Gmail added drag-and-drop image insertion last year, but they've pumped up Gmail's image-sharing features even more today by adding clipboard support. Now, if you've copied an image from somewhere, you can paste it right into Gmail's Compose window to send it. This currently only works in Google Chrome, though Google says they hope to add it to other browsers soon. [Official Gmail Blog] More »

Watching movies and TV shows on an iPad is a pleasure. Deciding what to watch, and then figuring out which iPad app offers which film or show at that moment, isn’t.

Q:

Is there a way to convert cassette tapes to CDs through the computer?

A:

Yes, there are a variety of hardware gadgets, that, with accompanying software, can plug into computers to convert the contents of cassettes to digital files, which can then be burned to CDs.

I can’t recommend any specific products, since I haven’t tested any. But you can find some by searching for “cassette to CD.”

Note that such conversions, like conversions of records, can be very time-consuming.

Q:

I will be on the road this summer and I don’t want a large laptop. I’m wondering what your opinion is on a tablet vs. netbook. My main purpose is to retrieve/send email, access the Internet and download important files. If I bought a tablet, it’d be an iPad.

A:

Most of what you want to do is easy on the iPad. But downloading of files is a bit trickier.

The iPad makes it easy to view — and with extra apps, to edit — files received as email attachments. And it has some apps that allow file retrieval from the cloud.

If you place an Android smartphone and a PlayStation controller into a George Foreman Grill, you might cook up Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play.

The Xperia Play is Sony Ericsson’s latest bid to regain relevance in the U.S. Once a thriving handset manufacturer, the company was late in adopting Google Inc.’s Android software and didn’t manage to capitalize on the early success of the smartphone market. As a result, it has been forced to play catch-up around the world, and particularly in the U.S.

The Xperia Play’s buttons allow more control than a touch screen over Eli Manning on ‘Madden NFL 11.’

With so many Android handsets in the market, Sony Ericsson had to go the extra mile to set itself apart. The Xperia Play, which Verizon Wireless began selling a week ago for $199.99 with a two-year contract, does just that.

The big selling point: a slide-out bottom half that mimics the trademark PlayStation-controller layout. It includes a direction pad, physical control buttons on the upper corners and face, and two circular touchpads in the center that take the place of the twin thumbsticks found on Sony’s Dual Shock controllers.

The tablet-computer race is heating up. The latest entrant, Acer Inc.’s Iconia Tab A500, is the first to offer compelling competition to Apple’s dominant iPad in one crucial area: price.

The Iconia Tab has been keenly anticipated, if only because Acer, a Taiwanese company that made its mark by offering sharp but inexpensive laptops and netbooks, is the world’s second-largest PC maker after Hewlett-Packard Co. The Iconia Tab is Acer’s first to run Google’s Android operating system, and joins an increasingly crowded tablet field that features the PlayBook by Research in Motion Ltd., Motorola Inc.’s Xoom, LG Electronics Inc.’s G-Slate and Apple’s own iPad2, which went on sale in March.

A WiFi-only version of the Iconia Tab went on sale on April 24 for $449.99. A new model that works on AT&T Inc.’s 4G wireless network is slated for release this summer for an as-yet-undisclosed price.

Q:

I have a small but fast-growing business and am strongly considering going with Macs, but I’m not sure if it’s the cost-effective way to go. What are the pros and cons?

A:

To a great extent, it depends on the size and type of business, but I can give you a few general pros and cons. Macs typically cost more upfront, but can save in maintenance costs because they aren’t susceptible to most malicious software and, in my experience, they crash less often. They tend to be easier to network, and, like Windows PCs, they work with Microsoft Exchange. They run standard productivity software, like Microsoft Office, and can access most online business sites and services. But there are many niche business applications that are written for Windows only. You can overcome this by running Windows on a Mac for the occasional program. But if your business would best operate using software that is only for Windows, you’d likely be better off with a Windows machine.

Q:

Q:

Is there software available to allow one to run Apple-compatible apps on Android tablets?

A:

None of which I’m aware. However, bear in mind many of the most popular apps for the iPhone are now available in versions for Android phones. My guess is that, over time, if Android tablets start selling in large numbers, the same phenomenon is likely to occur, with at least the top apps for the iPad being issued in versions for Android tablets.

Q:

I subscribe to 10 magazines. When I want to save an article I tear it out and file it away. I was wondering if there is another way to save articles by faxing/photocopying them and sending them as an attachment to a remote site accessible anywhere in the world. I would be willing to pay for the site but it has be easy to use.

A:

Television programs, like music and books, are migrating from their traditional form of delivery to transmission over the Internet for consumption on computers, tablets and smartphones. A growing number of people, at least some of the time, are choosing to watch shows on these devices rather than on television sets.

Q:

I have two homes and travel frequently. I would like to use a smartphone’s hot-spot capabilities to totally replace the two Internet services I have to buy for my two homes and to also have when I travel. What are the options?

A:

Many phones that use Google’s Android operating system, as well as Apple’s latest iPhones, can be used as a hot spot to take in the Internet connection from a cellular data service and then pump it out to personal computers and other devices as a Wi-Fi network.

However, in most cases, speeds are slower than home Internet connections and this service usually requires an extra monthly payment to the cellular carrier and data consumption may be limited.

If you want the greatest speed, I would advise using a device on Verizon’s new 4G network, called LTE, if it is available where you live and travel. So far, it’s only offered in one phone, the HTC Thunderbolt. But Verizon also sells dedicated 4G mobile hot-spot devices.

You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox and my other columns at the All Things Digital website, http://walt.allthingsd.com. Email mossberg@wsj.com

Add Instapaper for Chrome to the list of Chrome webapps that aren't just bookmarks. This unofficial webapp adds offline article syncing, extended pagination options, and saving of where you left off in an article to the popular read-later service. More »

Back in May, Google axed the offline mode in Google Reader. I didn't use it that often, but it was a nice way to catch up on tech news while I made the 6-hour trek to Winnipeg from my home in the North. Thankfully, there's a new Google Chrome extension called FeedStore which brings back offline reading.

Just install the extension and you're ready to go. FeedStore adds an icon to your browser actions area and notifies you when new unread items arrive -- and stashes a copy you can read later. The reading interface is somewhat customizable, allowing you to choose a font and change the type size and line spacing. There's a dropdown for custom styles, though only the default shows for now (which is nice and clean) -- hopefully we'll see additional options added.

The downside, of course, is that a lot of sites offer truncated feeds. It would be nice if future FeedStore versions could pull the full post from source websites.

Install FeedStore for Google Chrome

Apple’s $1 billion data center in North Carolina made headlines when the project was revealed in May 2009. New reports indicate that the facility is set to open for business “any day now,” according to local officials talking to Data Center Knowledge. It also looks like additional construction might double the facility’s size, as recent rumors had suggested. But what is the size increase for?

For Linux users who have been using the dev build of Google Chrome, you can now head over to the “about:labs” page and enjoy some Labs feature.

The “about:labs” page has been around for the Linux build for quite some time, but unlike the Windows version, nothing was available. In the latest update of Google Chrome, the “about:labs” now comes with several features like Tabbed Settings, Remoting, Page Info Bubble, Disable outdated plug-ins, XSS Auditor and Background WebApps.

Here’s a short breakdown of what each feature does:

Tabbed Settings

Instead of a new window, the Chrome Settings is now opened in a new tab.

Remoting

Allows Remoting Client support.

Page Info Bubble

The page info is now shown as an info bubble instead of a dialog window.

Disable outdated plug-ins

As its name implies, disable outdated plugins to reduce security vulnerability

XSS Auditor

Enables WebKit’s XSS Auditor (cross-site scripting protection). This feature aims to protect you from certain attacks of malicious web sites. It improves your security, but it might not be compatible with all web sites.

Background WebApps

Run installed web apps in the background at system startup and even after all windows are closed.

Activating about:labs features

1. Ensure that you are using a dev build of Google Chrome (you can get the deb file here)

2. Open a new tab and type “about:labs” (without the quotes) in the URL bar.

3. Choose the feature you want and click the “Enable” link.

4. Restart Google Chrome

That’s it.